MetroSpokane

Hayden, Meet 'Smart Growth'; 'Smart Growth' Meet Hayden

Need more proof that the world has discovered North-ERN Idaho?  No folks, The View isn't updating their Top 5 Undiscoved Towns list again.  Rather, look no further than the latest development proposal for a roughly 600 acre chunk-o-land near Hayden, Idaho. This is big for the Inland Northwest...and we're not just talking about the size of this development. 

This is our region's first attempt at a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), or new urbanism (which to us is really just 'good urbanism').  We took a look over the site plan/project overview and it looks, well, quite appealing [download pdf here].  And rightfully so, as the developers have certainly stacked their development team with some well known talent from the new urbanist circles (Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Co, Zimmerman-Volk Associates, Strategic Economics, and Spokane's very own ARTIOS).

The proposal is to take this 600 acres and build it out to about 1,800 residential units of all shapes and sizes, 90,000-150,000 sf of commercial/mixed use, a school, community center, and arts school.  Implementation would occur in phases over a six year time frame.

Unfortunately, trouble is a brewin'.  It seems a number of neighbors of the proposed project aren't too thrilled about the plans.  The usual NIMBY-isms have been flying for weeks, and they seem to have scored their first victory with the Hayden Planning Commission.  Next round - The Hayden City Council.  The first mistake is to think this is just another development.  It doesn't appear to be.  This effort is more about making a place rather than another soulless collection of boxes to store you're stuff.  The second is for the NIMBY's to think life here in the INW is going to remain 'semi-rural' forever.  If one believes the credo that 'growth is inevitable', then the residents and City Council of Hayden should consider allowing the annexation that will allow this project to move ahead.  The next option might not be as pleasant.  We only wish Spokane had developers interested in doing something like Hayden Canyon over here.

Links:

• NPR Feature from October 19th (real audio)

 

Your mom called...she wants her neighborhood back...

Let's face it, Spokane is a family place.  Ask anyone who lives here about the city's most appealing traits and you're certain to hear the phrase, "It's a great place to raise a family."  But what is it about Spokane, or anywhere that makes it such a great place for them?  What are those particular attributes?  Given the fact that an increasing number of households are being headed by women, asking them might be a prudent move if you're a large-scale residential builder in the Spokane area.  A recent survey by EDAW ( an international urban planning and landscape design firm) looked at what women want in their neighborhoods.  The findings identified grocery stores, good parks, transportation choices, and good quality landscape design as the most important attributes [What women want...in a neighborhood]. 

Across the Atlantic, planners there are focusing on women's concerns with the built environment in a different way.  Realizing that traditional town centers are the economic engines of the city and that often times women feel unsafe and intimidated by them, Britain is taking bold steps to making them more friendly for women.  It makes sense, especially since women are more likely to be the CFO's of most families.  They hold the purse strings and are making most of the key purchasing decisions.  A recent book, The Mom Factor, looks at the relatively untapped market of Moms.  Its message is simple:  Whether you're selling a service, manufacturing a product, or heck, even marketing a city to prospective residents, you will ignore this group of women at your own peril. 

We were excited to discover Spokane's Economic Development Department recognizing this connection between women, the local economy, and Spokane's traditional neighborhood business districts.  The city has partnered with four neighborhood centers for Girl's Day Out.  Women who might not normally venture out to these districts can do so in the company of other women while exploring what these places have to offer.

See Also:

• Women's Design Center (WDC)
• Making Safer Places (MSP)

What We Lost...

Seventy years ago Spokane, like most cities around here, was a much different place.  It was a city in transition.  In 1936 the decision was made to move from the outdated streetcars to the modern, sleek alternative that was the bus.  With this decision came the end of an era that had lasted for nearly fifty years and resulted in an inventory of over 120 streetcars, miles of track, and a city that had grown with the addition of each new line.  Most of the cars were sold off to other cities, some ended up in  private hands, while a few were burned in a celebratory manner in anticipation of transit's salvation...        the bus...

Curious about the historical role of streetcars in Spokane, MetroSpokane caught wind that there was one last surviving streetcar from this era.  After a few phone calls, one meeting and a couple of weeks, we found ourselves in a warehouse in east Spokane.  Walking inside we caught our first glimpse of car 140 - a 1918 semi-convertible - built by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, PA. The car has an unglamorous history.  Following the demise of the system in 1936, the car spent a number of years as a roadside diner in Chewelah, Wa until it was repurchased in 1979.  Restoration has been ongoing since then under the hand of the Inland Empire Historical Railway Society.  The car is in decent shape despite its age.  The seats are gone now, the detailing is fairly elaborate for something so...so...public, but in walking through the car you could tell it was heavy on utility.

Lately, the rumblings of renewed interest in streetcars has surfaced not only in Spokane, but elsewhere across the country [earlier post].  Locally, a feasibility study was kicked off in June of 2004 by the Downtown Spokane Partnership, the City of Spokane, and the Spokane Regional Transportation Council.  New funding as a result of the Federal Transportation Bill that was passed this year also lends some promise of dedicated funding for these smaller, inner-city types of projects [small starts].  By 2007, $200 million in funds will be allocated on a competitive basis for cities interested in implementing such systems.  What will be Spokane's share?